Gas valve and burner



July 9, 1.963 s. H. NEWMAN GAS VALVE AND BURNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1960 3 Fig.3

INVENTOR.

Stanley H. Newman BY July 9, 1963 s. H. NEWMAN GAS VALVE AND BURNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1960 INVENTOR.

' Stanley H. Newman BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,096,636 GAS VALVE AND BURNER Stanley H. Newman, New York, N.Y. Schwartz & Frohlich, 19 E. 7 0th St., New York, N.Y.) Filed Apr. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 21,220 Claims priority, application Netherlands Dec. 8, 1959 Claims. (Cl. 67--7.1)

This invention relates to cigarette lighters of the type using a combustible hydrocarbon gas a fuel and more particularly to an improved burner and valve construction for use in such lighters.

Cigarette lighters using a combustible hydrocarbon gas as a fuel (or gas lighters as they are commonly known) have become increasingly popular in recent years. The reason for the increased popularity of these lighters is due, at least in part, to the fact that such lighters do not require a fuel feeding wick as is the case with the old type liquid fuel lighters. In addition gas lighters usually have a sealed storage tank filled with a liquefied hydrocarbon gas such as butane which permits the lighter to be used for several months of normal operation without the necessity of refilling or replacing the tank.

While gas lighters heretofore used have been satisfactory in general there have been some shortcomings in such prior lighters.

In conventional gas lighters, the liquefied butane fuel is stored in a sealed tank to which a gas escape valve and burner combination is attached. The gas valve and burner combination is usually less than a half inch long and about a quarter inch in diameter. As can be seen from these dimensions, the valve and burner combination is an extremely small apparatus and the moving parts Within it must of necessity be of very small dimensions. As a result of the minute size of the valve and burner combination, one of the problems of prior gas lighters has been the obtaining of adequate and accurate control over the size of the flame at the tip of the jet burner. Even a slight manual adujstment of the gas flow control mechanism of prior constructions has caused an unusually large increase in the size of the flame.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved burner and valve combination which will overcome the foregoing shortcoming by permitting easy and minute flame adjustment. It is another object to provide a burner and valve combination of simple construction which may be economically manufacture. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction in a burner and valve combination which provides a tight seal to prevent leakage of gas through the valve when the lighter is not in operation.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the present invention. Although a preferred embodiment is depioted in the drawings and described in the specification, it is to be understood that this embodiment is merely illustrative of the present invention and not a definition of the limit of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In this specification relative terms of location are used such as upper and lower. These terms are used in connection with the description of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and are only intended to facilitate an understanding of the invention and they are not intended to limit the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the gas valve and burner combination in accordance with the present invention;

' FIGURE 2 is a top view of the gas and burner com- 3,096,636 Patented July 9, 1963 ice bination of FIGURE 1 with the flame adjustment control means broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2 with the flame adjustment means shown partially in section and partially in full; and

FIGURE 4 is another sectional View similar to FIG- URE 3 and showing the burner tube lifted to permit the escape of gas.

Referring now to the drawings and to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 in particular, a combined burner and valve construction and the gas adjustment means is shown which incorporate the novel features of the present invention. As shown in FIGURE 1, the normally visible outer components of the combination comprise a body portion 10, a cap or housing 12, and a burner tube 14; the body and housing 12 forming the outer casing of the burner and valve combination. The burner tube 14 extends from the housing 12 for movement relative thereto and the gas supply adjustment means 16 is connected to the body 10.

The body 10 is positioned in an opening in the top wall of a storage tank 20 and provided with an annular groove 18 in its outer periphery in to which the top wall of the tank projects and is attached. In the drawings, the tank 20 is only partially shown in phantom lines since its construction is well known in the art.

The liquefied butane fuel is stored in the tank 20 under a pressure of about 28 p.s.i. and, therefore, it is maintained in a liquefied state.

A longitudinal opening 22 is provided through the body 10 and this opening 22 communicates with the interior of the tank 20 where the liquefied gas is stored. A wick 24 of suitable absorbent material is positioned within the 'body 10 and extends down through the opening 22 and into the tank 20. Since the stored fuel is liquefied, the absorbent wick 24 is a suitable means of conveying it in liquid form from the tank to the desired location within the body 10.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, a shoulder 26 projects inwardly from body 10 at the lower portion of the opening 22. This shoulder 26 serves as a seat for a resilient spring plate 28 which provides the major lower support for the other components of the burner and valve combination.

Referring still to FIGURES 3 and 4, a wick holder 30 is mounted on spring plate 28 and has a vertical shaft portion 32. An opening 34 is provided in the shaft 32 and the lower end of this opening 34 is positioned opposite an opening 35 in the plate 28. These openings 34 and 36 provide a passageway for the wick 24 from the a tank 29 into the body 10.

The wick holder 30 also has a lower flange 38 and this flange acts as a seat for a compression member or sleeve 4t) of synthetic rubber, or the like, which surrounds the shaft 32 and snugly fills the lower region of the opening 22. At the upper end of the shaft 32 an annular recess 42 is provided. A second opening 44 in the holder 30 connects the opening 34 with the recess 42 so that the wick 24 may be drawn through these openings 34 and 44 and fitted into the recess.

The solid crowned top 46 of the shaft 32 projecting from recess 42 cooperates with the portion of the wick 24 which is packed into the recess 42 and together they act as a platform for a thin evaporation pad or disc 48. Pad 48 is made of a suitable absorbent material such as paper or the like and contacts with the wick 24 so that liquefied fuel from the tank 20 is transferred to the pad from the wick.

A cap 50 is slidably fitted into the opening 22 in the body 10 and overlies the pad 48. A depending skirt 52 of cap 5i) extends below the pad 48 and this skirt rests on the compression member 40. A boss 54 extends upwardly from the cap 50 in the region above the pad 48 and a vertical opening 56 extends through the boss 54 in communicating with the pad.

The housing 12 has a screw threaded connection into the body it? for fixedly connecting the parts and the lower end 58 of the housing 12 contacts the upper end of the cap 50. The housing 12, the compression member 40, the wick holder 39 and the spring plate 23 cooperate to hold the slidable cap Si in position.

As stated previously, the burner 14 is movably placed within the housing 12. Burner 14 is in the form of a tube and has a flange 60 at its lower end which is cri-mped about a deformable sealing disc 62 constituting a movable valve member. Disc 62 is normally pressed against the upper end of the boss 54 constituting a valve seat so that the opening 56 therein is tightly sealed; thus, any escape of fuel in the gaseous state through the opening 56 is prevented.

The burner 14 is normally held in a depressed or seated position by means of a combination seal and retainer ring 64- which is made of a resilient and deformable material, such as rubber. This ring 64 fits snugly about the burner 14 and seals the region between the inner side wall 66 of the housing 12 and the outer wall 68 of the burner 14. The ring 64 is pressed against the upper wall 70 of the housing 12 and a base flange 72 on the lower end of the burner 14. Since the housing 12 is fixed in place by its screw threaded connection to the body It}, the ring 64 urges the slidable burner 14 downwardly. As shown in FIGURE 3, the force exerted by the ring 64 is sufficient to deform the sealing disc 62 against the boss 54 and effectively seal the opening 56 in the boss 54.

When it is desired to have fuel in a gaseous state flow through the opening 56, a lever 74 is used to lift the slidable burner 16 upwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 4. In this operation the sealing disc 62 is carried upwardly by the crimped flange 6t and the upper end of the opening 56 is exposed. With the burner 14 in the raised position of FIGURE 4, a passageway for gas from the pad 48 to the outer end of the burner is provided. This passageway extends around the crimped flange 60 and along the inner wall 66 of the housing 12, through side ports 76 in the base flange 72, and finally into a vertical opening 78 through the burner tube 14.

While the fuel is under pressure in the tank 26 it is liquefied and remains so while being absorbed up to the pad 48. Since it is under a pressure of about 28 p.s.i., it remains liquefied as long as the opening 56 is sealed by the disc 62. However, when the opening 56 is unsealed, the liquid fuel in the upper region of the pad 48 evaporates at the lower atmospheric pressure to which it is subjected through the openings 78 and 56 in the burner tube 14 and cap 52. Also the vaporized gas flows upwardly and outwardly through openings 56 and 7 8 and in a jet from the end of the burner.

A spark can be furnished by conventional pyrophoric means actuated by the same action which raises the lever 74 and the gas escaping through the burner opening 78 can be ignited to furnish a wick-less flame.

In assembling the various parts of the burner and valve combination, the plate 28 is first inserted into the body 10. The wick holder 30 is then placed on top of the plate and the compression member 46 is then set in place. The remaining components are added, being sure that the housing 12 is not tightly screwed to the body 10. With the housing 12 in an untightened condition liquified butane fuel may be fed the tank 29 under pressure through the opening 78. When the tank is filled the housing 12 is screwed down and into place.

As the housing 12 is screwed into place a resisting force is applied upwardly by the spring plate 28. This plate 28 is normally flat but it is depressed during the final assembly operation when the housing 12 is tightened. The upward force exerted by the plate 2% presses 4 the wick holder 30, and particularly the crown 46, against the pad 4-8. At the same time the ring 64 forces the burner tube 14 downwardly to move the deformable valve disc 62 into sealing engagement with boss 54, constituting a valve seat to seal the opening 56.

After the lighter unit is assembled, as described above, it may be operated by lifting the burner 14- to obtain a flow of gas. The flame obtained should be at a minimum. If this minimum flame is too great then it can be further reduced by slightly tightening the housing 12. When the minimum flame is obtained no further adjustment of the housing is necessary thereafter to obtain a greater flame. Variation of flame intensity above this minimum is obtained by other means which will now be described.

The compression member 40 protrudes slightly into a hole in the wall of the body 10 when the apparatus is set for the minimum flame condition. A threaded shaft 82, which acts as a pressure applicator, is screwed into this hole 89 and a gear 84 is fixed onto the outer end 86 of the shaft 82. This gear 84 mates with another gear 88. Gear 88 is mounted on a shaft 90 and has a much smaller gear tooth pitch than gear 84-. The shaft 90 is also screw threaded and it is screw connected to a mounting plate 92 which may be fixedly connected to the tank 20 or any other stable part of a lighter.

When the shaft 82 is moved into the hold 80 the compression member 40 is deformed vertically downward. This vertical deformation acts to depress the wick holder 30 downwardly relative to cap 52 to reduce the pressure exerted on the pad 48 by the crown 46 and the cap 50. This reduced pressure on pad 48 causes an increase in the flow of fuel through the opening 56 when the burner 14 is raised to the flame position of FIGURE 4 and a large flame is obtained.

The gear ratio between the gears 88 and 84 is quite large and as a result of this relationship a minute adjustment of flame may be readily accomplished by turning a wheel 94 which is mounted on shaft 90. This gearing arrangement permits quick adjustment of the flame to any desired size without the necessity of attempting to adjust the relationship of the housing 12 and the body 10 in order to vary the flame.

A quarter turn of the wheel 94 causes the gear 84 to rotate only a very small fraction of a turn so that shaft 82 is advanced by only the slightest extent into hole 80. This slight extent caused the compression member 40 to be vertically deformed a minute amount. This deformation in turn results in a very small increase in the flow of gas through the opening 56. Thus, there is a very small increase in the size of the flame although there was a relatively large movement of the wheel 94.

In view of the foregoing it will be clear that the present invention in a burner and valve construction permits micrometer-like accuracy in adjusting the flame size. It should also be noted that all the deformable stress members within the construction may be of a solid resilient material which is unaffected by the hydrocarbon fuel.

I claim:

1. In a cigarette lighter of the type using a hydrocarbon gas as a combustion fuel, an improved burner and valve construction comprising a casing, a jet burner tube extending from said casing and having an opening therethrough, said opening being exposed to atmospheric pressure, a gas valve structure positioned in said casing beneath the opening in said tube, a wick holder having a wick mounted therein, a resilient support mounted in the casing and beneath the wick holder, said holder being Spaced from said burner and seated on the resilient support, a fuel dispensing pad communicating with said wick and said wick communicating with a supply of liquefied fuel maintained under a pressure greater than normal atmospheric pressure, said pad positioned beneath said valve structure and in communication therewith, said pad being above said wick holder whereby said pad is adapted to be compressed between said holder and said valve structure, a deformable compression member located within said casing and about said wick holder and contacting the valve structure and the wick holder, means for deforming said member whereby a force is exerted on the wick holder and the valve structure causing the wick holder to move relative to the valve structure to vary the compression of the pad between the wick holder and the valve structure and thereby control the flow of fuel in gaseous form from said pad and through said valve structure.

2. An improved burner and valve construction in a cigarette lighter as defined in claim 1 and further comprising an opening in the casing adjacent to the compres sion member, and adjustable pressure applicator in said opening and in engagement with said compression member whereby said compression member is deformed by the extension or retraction of the applicator in said casing opening. 7

3. An improved burner and valve construction in a cigarette lighter as defined in claim 2 and including a gear means mounted on the outer end of the pressure applicator for extending or retracting said applicator into or out of the casing opening.

4. In a cigarette lighter of the type using hydrocarbon gas as a combustion fuel an improved burner and valve construction comprising an outer causing, a jet burner tube slidably mounted within said casing and extending outwardly through one end of said casing, a resilient member mounted in said casing and positioned at the end of said casing away from said burner, a wick holder within said casing and positioned at the end away from said burner, said wick holder being seated on said resilient member mounted in said casing, a wick held by said holder and said wick extending through an opening in said casing and into a storage tank containing liquefied fuel under a pressure greater than the atmospheric, a pad for dispensing fuel set above said wick holder and in contact with said wick whereby fuel in liquid form is transferred from the wick to said pad, a deformable compression member about at least a portion of said wick holder and extending to the interior surface of the casing, a cap with an opening therein mounted over the pad, a stop on said casing for limiting the upward movement of the cap, said cap being seated on the compression member, said pad being squeezed between said cap and the wick holder, the cap opening being in communication with the fuel dispensing pad, a valve disc on the end of the burner tube and overlying the cap opening, a combination seal and depresser ring about the burner tube, said seal and depresser ring for the tube extending to the adjacent wall of the casing, said depresser ring normally urging the valve disc into closing relation with the cap opening, and a passageway about said valve disc connected to an opening exposed to the atmosphere through said burner tube whereby liquefied fuel from said pad becomes gaseous when the valve disc is raised and said fuel in gas form flows from said burner tube, and means for deforming the compression member whereby pressure on the pad may be increased or decreased and gaseous fuel therethrough regulated.

5. An improved burner and valve construction for a cigarette lighter as defined in claim 4 and further including an opening in the casing opposite the compression member, said member extending into said opening, a pressure applicator extending into said opening and gear means for extending or retracting said applicator into or out of said opening whereby pressure on the pad may be varied by deforming the compression member and causing a movement of the wick holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,743,597 Newman May 1, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,218 Belgium June 29, 1957 

1. IN A CIGAETTE LIGHTER OF THE TYPE USING A HYDROCARBON GAS AS A COMBUSTION FUEL, AN IMPROVED BURNER AND VALVE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A CASING, A JET BURNER TUBE EXTENDING FROM SAID CASING AND HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH, SAID OPENING BEING EXPOSED TO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, A GAS VALVE STRUCTURE POSITIONED IN SAID CASING BENEATH THE OPENING IN SAID TUBE, A WICK HOLDER HAVING A WICK MOUNTED THEREIN, A RESILIENT SUPPORT MOUNTED IN THE CASING AND BENEATH THE WICK HOLDER, SAID HOLDER BEING SPACED FROM SAID BURNER AND SEATED ON THE RESILIENT SUPPORT, A FUEL DISPENSING PAD COMMUNICATING WITH SAID WICK AND SAID WICK COMMUNICATING WITH A SUPPLY OF LIQUEFIED FUEL MAINTANIED UNDER A PRESSURE GREATER THAN NORMAL ATMOSPHERIEC PRESSURE, SAID PAD POSITIONED BENEATH SAID VALVE STRUCTURE AND IN COMMUNICATION THEREWITH, SAID PAD BEING ABOVE SAID WICK HOLDER WHEREBY SAID PAD IS ADAPTED TO BE COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID HOLDER AND SAID VALVE STRUCTER, A DEFORMABLE COMPRESSION MEMBER LOCATED WITHIN SAID CASING AND ABOUT SAID WICK HOLER AND CONTACTING THE VALVE STRUCTURE AND THE WICK HOLDER, MEANS FOR DEFORMING SAID MEMBER WHEREBY A FORCE IS EXERTED ON THE WICK HOLDER AND THE VALVE STRUCTURE CAUSING THE WICK HOLDER TO MOVE RELATIVE TO THE VALVE STRUCTURE TO VARY THE COMPRESSION OF THE PAD BETWEEN THE WICK HOLDER AND THE VALVE STRUCTURE AND THEREBY CONTROL THE FLOW OF FUEL IN GASEOUS FORM FROM SAID PAD AND THROUGH SAID VALVE STRUCTURE. 